I'll Be My Own Hero
by takeBACK
Summary: A chance encounter with the most unexpected person leaves Sakura with a new resolve and new goals. Sakuracentric, Sakura x Itachi  eventually


**Author's note:** I started writing this awhile ago. Just now I've decided to post it, but I really don't know where I'm going with it. I have a vague plan but I defiantly have to work out the details. Either way, enjoy this chapter, it may be awhile before you read more if you want to.

Either way, I don't own Naruto blah blah blah. Enjoy!

She should be dead.

Days ago her corpse should have been lowered into the ground, her family and friends gathered around the grave to mourn her passing. Others would be there too, as all mourned the passing of a shinobi.

Could she really even call herself that? Compared to everyone else, Sasuke, Ino, even Naruto, she was pathetic. She could perhaps make a tree log parade as her twin, throw a kunai, figure out some strategies or ramble off the shinobi code. No, Sakura mused, she really couldn't call herself a shinobi. She was some cheap knockoff, unable to fill the quota that came with the job.

Her parents would be there, her mother sobbing into her father's shoulder and the man himself, silent, mourning on the inside. Ino would be crying, standing between Shikamaru and Chouji, holding Sakura blossoms. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't even be there. He'd show up two hours later after the procession. Sasuke-kun, he'd be impassive as usual. He might miss her, but she really didn't know. Then there was Naruto. He'd be the only one not wearing black. He'd be crying of course, not afraid to show it. That's pretty much it. Sakura never had many friends. That was Ino's department.

Instead of being six feet underground, Haruno Sakura found herself lying in a hospital bed, the room eerily silent except for the steady beeping of her heart monitor. As she struggled to get up she could feel the scratching of bandage against her skin. Then the dull ache of pain struck, making the twelve year old groan. The pain reminded her of why she was in the hospital in the first place.

About two weeks ago Godaime Tsunade had assigned Team Seven a C ranked mission. It was a simple escort mission, with no known threats involved. The mission startling reminded Sakura of a past mission, the one to Wave Country. However Sakura had thought then, the odds of the past repeating itself was minimal. Besides, the employer of the mission was straight cut, a noble of Fire Country. Why would the man lie to pay a cheaper price when he was wealthy enough to employ several A ranked missions?

Then, it was exactly as the job described. They got the noble to his destination fast and efficient with no incidents, well if you don't include Naruto using his stupid jutsu on the noble and almost having himself reported to Tsunade-sama.

Then on the way back to Konoha, Team Seven stopped for the night. After setting up camp and eating whatever they could come up with that night for supper, Sakura has ventured off to find a private hot spring, one of the hundreds in the hot spring rich region. As the only girl apart of Team Seven, Sakura of course was alone in solitude. She bathed in peace, away from Kakashi`s giggles, Nartuo`s constant chatter and Sasuke`s unwavering silence. The hot water has washed away all of her problems, if only for the moment.

After a good half an hour she has left the bath, her hair dripping wet but her mood soaring high. Then her worst nightmare came true. She didn't know the black cape with red clouds but she recognized the headband reflecting in the moonlight. She also recognized the long scratch drawn between Konoha's symbol. The eyes off the missing nin were identical to her very own teammate's, bloody red.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized who he was.

Uchiha Itachi.

Right then and there Sakura knew she was going to die. There was no way there would be enough time for her to get to help and there was no way she could defend herself against the infamous Uchiha prodigy. There was also no chance in hell any of her teammates followed her, but even in this situation that would have been worse.

At the same time, Itachi felt like a deer caught in headlights. He never noticed or sensed this kounichi's presence until he stumbled upon her face to face. Odd for he could sense his baby brother and the rest of Team Seven despite the distance between them. Shock registered on his face all but for a split second and then his features smoothed into a blank slate. This was a problem. He couldn't allow the kounichi to leave unharmed and she most likely expected him to kill her. His little brother also couldn't know of his presence.

Sakura slowly let the breath she was holding go. At most, her pride cried, she could try to get away. There were no false hopes she would actually make it out of this situation alive but at least she could tell herself she tried. Closing her eyes, Sakura faked movement to her left and then dashed right. Like she expected, the larger body of Uchiha Itachi appeared, blocking her path. It was completely pathetic of her to even try to get away from him.

Red invaded her vision, and Sakura found herself cursing. How stupid was she to look in his eyes? If she had to die, she could have gone...less painfully then by the hands of Tsukuyomi.

Screams tore through the air for a split second. Then the screams ceased, an exhausted kounichi staring at the ground in surprise. For split second she glanced up at her opponent, only to see him more surprised than her.

Itachi was bewildered. How could the young, untalented shinobi before him break Tsukyuomi? It was frightening but very intriguing. He would let her live another day, only to satisfy his curiosity. He'd be seeing the pink hair anomaly again; he would make sure of it.

Seeing the Uchiha's shocked face was the last thing Sakura remembered. She didn't know how she had come to be resting in the hospital bed, alive. Perhaps Uchiha Itachi had taken pity on her, but that was doubtful. Instead, he probably hadn't found her worth his time and she had just passed out from shock. Her team mates must have found her later, and had returned her to Konoha. Sakura wondered what they had thought when they had come across her unconscious body.

Either way she was alive, but for how long could she count on that? She hadn't been able to do anything in the face of danger and there were hundreds, thousands of shinobi stronger and more talented then her. This really put things in perspective. It really would be only a matter of time before she was dead. She knew it. She was weak and pathetic.

She couldn't rely on her team-mates and sensei to save her anymore.

She needed to get stronger.


End file.
